The One Time He Didn't
by shadowtrickster93
Summary: Several significant excerpts from Chuck's life, all of which somehow lead him to Sarah. C/S eventually. :D
1. Peanuts

author's note: this is my first Chuck fic, so be nice. :)) i apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors. reviews would be much appreciated. (heck, i practically LIVE off of them. :D)

disclaimer: i do not own Chuck or anything related to it. (i want Captain Awesome though. LOL.)

if anyone could tell Chuck's mom's first name, please do. :)) i just made on up for the purposes of this story.

* * *

The One Time He Didn't

Peanuts

Elie rolled her eyes at her brother's antics as he demonstarated proudly where one could (theoretically) stick chopsticks in. That night, they were dining at their mom's favorite Chinese restaurant, Jade Garden. They had just finished givng the waiter their order and were waiting for their food to come. The restaurant was busy that night, the sounds of conversation and laughter in the air. After a while, the waiter came back with a small plate of peanuts for them to munch on while they waited.

Ten minutes later, Chuck had already decimated nearly half of the plate.

Elie laughed at him.

"Look Mom! Chuck's such a greedy little kid, not sharing any of his peanuts with us."

Chuck just stuck his tongue out in her direction and continued to reach for the peanuts with his chubby little fingers.

"Chuck darling, all those peanuts will ruin your appetite." Their mother warned hiim calmly, smiling gently at her baby boy.

Chuck just giggled at her attempts to stop him.

Unfortunately, as he did so, a peanut got stuck in his throat and he began to choke. His eyes widened and he frantically motioned to his throat.

"Cut it out Chuck. Seriously." His mom and Elie began to laugh.

Chuck shook his head wildly, his chocolate brown eyes filling with terror.

It suddenly dawned on them that this was no joke. Elie's eyes widened and she began to hyperventilate, drawing the attention of all the restaurant's patrons.

"My brother's choking! Please please, somone help him!"

Their mother wasted no time with hysteria and got out of her chair, knocking it to one side as though she suddenly possessed superhuman strength. She proceeded to perform the Heimlich maneuver on Chuck, attempting again and again to get the peanut out of his airway as the other customers looked on in worry.

The peanut flew out and landed in someone's steaming hot cup of tea.

Silence.

Then their impromptu audience began to applaud.

Their mother smiled shyly, surprised by their reaction. "It was nothing really, just something I learned in first aid class back in high school."

Elie ran over to her little brother and hugged him fiercely.

"Don't you ever do that again, you hear me? You silly little brat, only _you_ can choke on a _peanut_ of all things."

"Elie... can't... breathe."

She gasped and released her hold on him, kissing him on the forehead before returning to her seat.

Chuck turned to his mom, his eyes shining with adoration the way only an eight year old's could.

"Thanks Mom. I love you."

She smiled back at him and ruffled his curly hair.

"I love you too Chuck."

Dinner continued without incident, their entire meal paid for by the restaurant's owners. Their mother insisted that she pay, but the elderly Chinese couple would hear nothing of it.

"Absolutely not! You are not going to pay us one cent for this meal!"

"That's very kind of you but-"

"No buts! Now enjoy your Kung Pao Chicken."

She thanked them again and sat back down on her chair, defeated.

"Why don't you just let them treat us Mom? It is your birthday after all." Chuck said, wondering why his mother was refusing a _free meal_, of all things.

She laughed. "Someday, you'll understand."

Chuck shrugged. Part of him protested. Just because he was an eight year old didn't mean he was stupid. But then again he trusted her, and if she said he would understand someday, then he would trust her on that.

There was one thing he was sure of though.

"Hey Mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"Would it be okay with you if I never ate peanuts again?"

She chuckled. "Of course, but are you sure? It was just this one time after all."

Chuck nodded his head sagely. "I'm sure. I mean, what happens if I eat a peanut and you're not there to save me?"

--

At the age of 13 he reluctantly tastes Elie's now infamous peanut butter jelly sandwiches and decides to give peanuts a second chance.

At the age of 14, Eileen Bartowski leaves them, and Chuck never touches peanuts ever again.

* * *

Four more chapters to come! :)

I don't really know much about Elie and Chuck's childhood but that was how I imagined it would be... No worries, other parts of Chuck's life will be much happier. It'll be Chuck/Sarah eventually. :) (and we know how awesome that will be...)

If you guys are wondering if a Heimlich can actually be done on a child, it can be. I CHECKED IT OUT. LOL. it's on if you're curious.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are again much appreciated. I'll update as soon as possible, I promise. :)

p.s. Jade Garden is an actual restaurant near my house. :))


	2. Dungeons and Dragons

author's note: hey guys! thanks for all the kind reviews you sent my way. because of said reviews, you guys inspired me to update sooner than i thought possible, haha. :)) i should warn you though: i'm not going to be able to update in the next two to three weeks as we have trimestral exams in school. (DEATH.) don't worry, after that, i'll be able to update the rest more often. i have it all outlined; i just have to get around to actually writing it. hopefully you enjoy this chapter as well! as i said in the previous chapter. FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. :D

in terms of this chapter, just know that i have NOTHING against cheerleaders and football players, nerds and dorks or even artistic people, musicians and groupies. it's an evil evil stereotype at times, i know. i'm just trying to depict the... oftentimes cruelties in high school life. :)) i know how cliques can be. i myself am a nerd/dork at times. :D not necessarily a bad thing. this scene is based on high school nowadays. it couldn't have been too different from chuck's high school days at any rate.

(i wish i could be a cheerleader for a day though. (maybe in some alternate universe. someday. LOL.)

disclaimer: don't own chuck or anything related to it. :((

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The One Time He Didn't

Dungeons and Dragons

"Ohmigod. Have you heard their latest album? So hot."

"Dude, did you catch the football game last night? Dude, Nicholson was so friggin awesome!"

"Hey Chuck!"

Chuck reluctantly sat down next to his sister at the 'cool' table. It wasn't that he was considered to be cool on his own merit; his sister was cool and so by the unwritten laws of society, he was considered 'temporarily cool' by means of association.

"You going to training later, right man?"

"Yeah. We're totally gonna kick Riverdale's ass this coming weekend!"

Why were all these people so obsessed with football?

Cheerleaders he could definitely appreciate, if only for their... physique.

But football players?

Chuck stared at his food, poking his fork at this week's 'mystery meat'. It looked like a blend of inedible things all mashed together. He let his mind wander, staring at the different tables in the cafeteria.

There was the so called 'nerd' table. Its members were all huddled together, their glasses often colliding with each other's as they riffled through their algebra books and compared their answers to the last quiz Ms. Jefferson had given them.

Next to them were the 'dorks', although Chuck never really saw that big of a difference. The only thing that differentiated them was that while the 'nerds' were all busily discussing math problems, the 'dorks' had their noses buried in their books.

There was the artistic table on the far right, Almost all of them wore shirts splattered with paint and every single one of their fingers were darkened with pencil smudges. Sketchbooks were passed around and Olie, one of the more 'inexperienced' members sketching-wise, stared at Ashlee's drawings with an avid interest.

The musicians were on the far left, not even bothering to speak. Strumming their guitars was more than enough to do that for them.

Right next to their table were their groupies, although they always insisted they weren't. (Just 'passionate fans', when asked by the school newspaper)

Of course, there was the subgroup of the 'cool' table: the giggly girls. It was a smart move on the jocks' part: if their dating pool of cheerleaders miraculously ran out, there was always another bunch of mindless girls to move on to.

Then the rest of the student population deemed 'ordinary' and 'untalented' were dispersed in between those tables.

Chuck went back to poking his mystery meat, wondering where he would fit in. He was always like this during lunch. It wasn't as if the conversation would ever turn to him right?

"Hey Chuckie."

Chuck was jolted out of his reverie and as he looked up, he noticed everyone's eyes on him. (What a horrible nickname Chuckie was, he realized a few seconds after. Made him sound like a cow.)

Apparently, the conversation had turned to Morgan.

"So... are you actually like really friends with that loser?" Georgina the cheerleading captain said, voice dripping with derision.

Chuck would bet all the money he had that Georgina didn't even know what derision meant.

"Or are you just hanging out with him cause you feel bad for him and wanna be like, a nice guy?" That was Marie, probably the only girl at the table (aside from his sister) who he actually had a chance of impressing.

Or maybe he just thought this because she had referred to him as a 'nice guy'.

"Um..."

His voice sounded foreign even to his own ears, like he hadn't used it in a long while.

His instinct told him to reply with the latter. After all, it would be social suicide to say otherwise. Even though he wasn't going to physically _die_, he'd rather avoid dying in any sort of way, metaphorically or whatnot.

He opened his mouth again to reply, to say that the guy was just some loser he felt sorry for.

But nothing came out.

It was like some strange nightmare.

(Like the one where Princess Leia had asked him if he wanted to marry her and as he was about to say yes, he had found that he had lost his voice. Only this time it was real. But that dream was besides the point.)

It felt like the world had turned all gooey, like time was slowing down. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, bewildered by his reaction. Nothing was coming out of his mouth, only strange choking sounds.

The next day, he was no longer invited to the 'cool' table.

He had expected that.

Chuck walked out of the cafeteria and threw his lunch into the trash can, not even noticing Elie watching him sadly.

Suddenly, Chuck heard a voice yelling out for him.

"Hey Chuck! Is that you? I haven't seen you since summer!"

Chuck turned around: it was the reason he had been 'expelled' from the 'cool' table.

Morgan.

Instead of taking it against Morgan and distancing himself from this so-called 'loser', Chuck smiled.

"Hey! Yeah, I've... been really preoccupied lately."

"That's alright. I totally understand the allure of cheerleaders. Football players, not so much."

Chuck grinned. "Yeah, whatever you say."

Morgan, his head gear-wearing, inhaler-dependent friend, smiled right back at him.

Or as much as his head gear allowed him to.

"So... you wanna eat lunch with me today?"

Chuck nodded. "Sure. Where do you eat anyway? I never see you in the cafeteria."

"Oh, I hate eating there! I just run in, get the food, and get out. I just... never felt like I belonged anywhere." Morgan stopped for a moment, as though recalling a memory from years past.

"There was this time the groupies let me eat with them though!"

Chuck shook his head. If this was what he was in for the coming school year, then so be it.

-

At the age of 15, Chuck enters high school not knowing where he belongs.

For the next four years of high school, he realizes all you really need is one good friend.

(Specifically one who knows his Dungeons and Dragons.)

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TADA! told ya it was going to be happier. :)) feedback is much appreciated guys! (thanks for all the previous reviews.) like i said, i'll probably be updating after two to three weeks due to exams. (wish me luck!) trivia: for the Chuckie sounds like cow thing, there's actually a chocolate milk whose mascot is a cow named Chuckie. :))

thanks again!


	3. Sweatdrops

Author's Note: I apologize for the lateness of this chapter! Our school had this thing called Integration Week where we had projects for every single subject. Hope to review in a couple of weeks. Again, I apologize! I hope you enjoy it though, despite the length. :))

Disclaimer: Do not own but wish I could. :)

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The One Time He Didn't

Sweatdrop

The waiting room was filled with nervous teenagers, nearly out of high school but not quite. Some were flipping though magazines but not really reading them while others simply tapping out random rhythms with their toes and fingers. It was deadly quiet, only the sounds of the receptionist clacking away on the phone breaking the ominous silence.

Chuck wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. His fingers wormed their way up to his tie, attempting in vain to loosen the vice-like grip it had on his neck.

Why was he so nervous?

It wasn't like he was banking on this school or anything. It wasn't a place he was extremely interested in spending the next four years of his life at. It was however, where his best friend Morgan had applied at and due to his incessant wheedling for weeks on end, Chuck had finally given in and had decided to schedule an interview as well.

He tapped his sneakers on the linoleum floor. Why was it that it took a school only one interview and a standardized test to decide who they wanted as their students? Wasn't there more to a person than that? This was why he was always a wreck during interviews. He couldn't depend on the interviewer to somehow see through his sweaty palms and subdued voice. He had to make a good first impression, the way Elie always did. He wasn't exactly a pro at it, as most girls at his school would attest to. At any rate, he was determined to give it his best shot.

He didn't have anything to lose anyway. His hopes were pinned on Stanford, his number one dream school, but it was good to have a backup all the same.

"Mister... Barlowski?"

Chuck nodded frantically, not even registering the way the receptionist had pronounced his name.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Dean Reynolds will see you now," she added with a gentle smile, accustomed to the discomfort of most people who traversed this part of the campus.

Chuck gave her an uneasy smile. Was it just him or had the butterflies in his stomach multiplied by ten in the past two seconds?

"Just go all the way down the hallway and enter the door on your left."

Chuck nodded again and cast one last glance at the people remaining in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting their fate.

"Thanks."

Chuck slowly walked down the hallway, his hands firmly tucked inside his jean pockets. He barely noticed what the dean looked like as he was intent on not meeting his eyes, lest he lose his nerve.

So much for a good first impression.

"So... why do you want to study here Chuck?"

Oh, so he was one of those 'I feel so close to you, I can call you by your first name even though we just met' types.

Chuck swallowed before launching into his answer.

"Well I'm really interested in technology and I'm hoping to pursue a career in that field," Chuck replied calmly with an earnest smile on his face, his hands slightly gesticulating in the air. He raised his head to stare at the dean's nose. It was a compromise, he supposed. So far so good, no nervous breakdowns in sight as far as he could see.

"That's great," the dean beamed at him from ear to ear, revealing a yellowish stain on his teeth. Chuck shivered involuntarily.

"Feeling cold son? I could lower the thermostat if you like." The dean offered, seemingly concerned for his wellbeing. Or maybe Chuck was being too judgemental and he really was concerned.

Chuck shook his head, his brown curls bouncing from side to side.

"No I'm good sir. Fantastic. Never been better." Chuck grinned, a bit of sarcasm filling his voice. He hoped the dean didn't notice.

He shrugged. "If you're sure... So..." He shuffled the papers on his desk and set them to one side before clasping his hands together and looking earnestly into Chuck's brown eyes.

It unnerved Chuck, but he stubbornly continued at staring at the dean's nose.

"Tell me, who is Chuck Bartowski?"

It was a simple enough question, a standard interview question he had been expecting.

Chuck opened his mouth, about to respond with some routine answer when he stopped and actually gave the question some thought.

Who was Chuck Bartowski?

He didn't know. This question had him stumped, which was not good for a college interview.

He could have said that he was an eighteen year old boy whose mother had left him at the age of fourteen. He could have told the man in front of him that he had an extreme fear of clowns, or that he was addicted to video games. It didn't fit the question though; those were merely his circumstances, his likes and dislikes.

Unsurprisingly, Chuck didn't get in.

--

At the age of 18, Chuck excitedly carries boxes filled with his worldly belongings to his dorm room and meets the dashing Bryce Larkin.

At the age of 20, his best friend gets him kicked out.

At the age of 21, Chuck still wonders whether he would still be moping about his expulsion if only he had known who he truly was.

Somehow, he didn't think so.

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Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review. They are much appreciated. :)


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